This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-307963, filed Oct. 6, 2000, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an identifying apparatus, an apparatus to be identified, identifying method and printing apparatus, which are suitable for is use in monitoring whether or not replaceable consumable items is an original consumable item, for example, in a copying machine, printer, facsimile apparatus and other products.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is general to employ consumable items such as toner in a copying machine and a printer. For easy user maintenance, the consumable items are unitized; accordingly, they can easily be replaced.
Such consumable-item unit is easily counterfeited, and counterfeited consumable items are sometimes on the market. The counterfeited consumable-item unit has a low capability in many cases. Therefore, when the counterfeited consumable-item unit is used, a predetermined capability cannot be fulfilled, and an apparatus failure is possibly caused in the worst case.
To prevent the problem, various measure for inhibiting the counterfeited consumable items from being used have heretofore been taken, but any measure cannot completely prevent the counterfeit.
For example, in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2000-137416, a technique is disclosed in which a function for outputting a specific signal (pulse signal) is provided at a process cartridge of an image forming apparatus, and a main body of the image forming apparatus judges by the specified signal outputted by the process cartridge whether or not the cartridge is proper.
However, in this technique, since the signal outputted by the consumable items is a pulse signal having a specific frequency, it is relatively easy to analyze a type of the outputted signal. If a function of generating the similar signal Is provided at the counterfeited consumable items, the counterfeited consumable items cannot be detected.
An object of the present invention is to reliably identify whether or not a consumable item unit is an original consumable item.
This object is realized by an identifying apparatus comprising: an input port configured to receive an input signal from the apparatus to be identified; a collating section configured to collate whether or not a change pattern of a code in an input signal from the input port coincides with a predetermined change pattern; and an identifying section configured to identify attachment of the original apparatus to be identified only when coincidence is judged by collation by the collating section.
Moreover, the object is realized by an identifying apparatus comprising: an input port configured to receive an input signal from the apparatus to be identified; an output port configured to supply an output signal to the apparatus to be identified; a code generating section configured to outputting a predetermined identification code through the output port; an encoding section configured to encode the identification code generated by the code generating section to a specific code according to a predetermined rule; a collating section configured to collate whether or not the specific code obtained by the encoding section coincides with the input signal from the input port; and an identifying section configured to identify attachment of an original apparatus to be identified only when coincidence is judged by collation by the collating section.
Furthermore, the object is realized by an apparatus to be identified for allowing an identifying apparatus to identify attachment of an original apparatus to be identified when the apparatus to be identified is attached to the identifying apparatus comprising an input port configured to receive an input signal from the apparatus to be identified; a collating section configured to collate whether or not a change pattern of a code in an input signal from the input port coincides with a predetermined change pattern; and an identifying section configured to identify attachment of the original apparatus to be identified only when coincidence is judged by collation by the collating section, the apparatus to be identified comprising: a response signal generating section configured to supply a response signal configured by arranging different codes in the predetermined change pattern every time to the input port.
Additionally, the object is realized by an apparatus to be identified for allowing an identifying apparatus to identify attachment of an original apparatus to be identified when the apparatus to be identified is attached to the identifying apparatus comprising an output port configured to supply an output signal to the apparatus to be identified; a code generating section configured to outputting a predetermined identification code through the output port; an encoding section configured to encode the identification code generated by the code generating section to a specific code according to a predetermined rule; a collating section configured to collate whether or not the specific code obtained by the encoding section coincides with the input signal from the input port; and an identifying section configured to identify attachment of an original apparatus to be identified only when coincidence is judged by collation by the collating section, the apparatus to be identified comprising: a response code generating section configured to supply a response code obtained by encoding the identification code outputted through the output port of the identifying apparatus according to the same rule as that of the encoding section to the input port.
Moreover, the object is also realized by an identifying method for identifying attachment of an original apparatus to be identified in an identifying apparatus to which a separate apparatus to be identified can arbitrarily be attached and which comprises an input port configured to receive an input signal from the apparatus to be identified, the method comprising: collating whether or not a change pattern of a code in the input signal from the input port coincides with a predetermined change pattern; identifying the attachment of the original apparatus to be identified only when coincidence is judged.
Furthermore, the object is further realized by an identifying method for identifying attachment of an original apparatus to be identified in an identifying apparatus to which a separate apparatus to be identified can arbitrarily be attached and which comprises an input port configured to receive an input signal from the apparatus to be identified and an output port configured to supply an output signal to the apparatus to be identified, the method comprising: outputting a predetermined identification code through the output port; encoding the identification code to a specific code according to a predetermined rule; collating whether or not the specific code coincides with the input signal from the input port; and identifying attachment of the original apparatus to be identified only when coincidence is judged.
Additionally, the object is further realized by a printing apparatus comprising: an input port configured to receive an input signal from the apparatus to be identified; a collating section configured to collate whether or not a change pattern of a code in an input signal from the input port coincides with a predetermined change pattern; and an identifying section configured to identify attachment of the original apparatus to be identified only when coincidence is judged by collation by the collating section.
Moreover, the object is also realized by a printing apparatus comprising: an input port configured to receive an input signal from the apparatus to be identified; an output port configured to supply an output signal to the apparatus to be identified; a code generating section configured to outputting a predetermined identification code through the output port; an encoding section configured to encode the identification code generated by the code generating section to a specific code according to a predetermined rule; a collating section configured to collate whether or not the specific code obtained by the encoding section coincides with the input signal from the input port; and an identifying section configured to identify attachment of an original apparatus to be identified only when coincidence is judged by collation by the collating section.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.